Portable electronic device

ABSTRACT

A portable electronic device comprising a device body, a first linking member and a supporting member is provided. The first linking member includes a first end and a second end. The first end is rotatably connected to the device body. The supporting member is pivotally connected to the second end. The supporting member moves relative to the device body via the first linking member, the first linking member rotates relative to the device body via the first end, and then the second end moves close to or out from the device body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional application of and claims the prioritybenefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/144,838, filed on May 3, 2016,now allowed, which claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 62/160,587, filed on May 12, 2015 and Taiwanapplication serial No. 105112123, filed on Apr. 19, 2016. The entiretyof each of the above-mentioned patent applications are herebyincorporated by references herein and made a part of specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an electronic device and, more specifically, toa portable electronic device.

Description of the Related Art

With the development of technology, electronic devices havinguser-friendly designs and high performances are launched. For example, anotebook computer gradually replaces a desktop computer and becomes themainstream in the market. Additionally, portable electronic devices,such as a tablet computer and a smart phone, are popular in the marketdue to their convenient and advanced touch control interfaces andportable features.

Tablet computers are small in size and portable. A touch control screenof the tablet computer is configured as a main input unit which replacesa conventional keyboard and mouse. Furthermore, a handwritingrecognizing module, a virtual keyboard or a speech recognizing module isalso selectively built in the tablet computer for recognizing theinformation that users' input. Moreover, compared with a currentnotebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a smart phone,a tablet computer is more attractive due to a large screen, while lightin weight.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect, a portable electronic device is provided. Theportable electronic device comprises a device body, a first linkingmember, and a supporting member. The first linking member includes afirst end and a second end. The first end is rotatably connected to thedevice body. The supporting member is pivotally connected to the secondend. The supporting member moves relative to the device body via thefirst linking member, the first linking member rotates relative to thedevice body via the first end, and then the second end moves close to orout from the device body.

In sum, with the configuration of the first linking member, thesupporting member of the portable electronic device is movable relativeto the device body. The first end of the first linking member isrotatably connected to the device body, thus the first linking member isrotatable relative to the device body. The second end of the firstlinking member is pivotally connected to the supporting member, thus thesupporting member is rotatable relative to the first linking member. Inthis way, the supporting member of the portable electronic device iscapable of moving rotatably relative to the device body via the firstlinking member. Since the second end of the first linking member canmove out from or close to the device body due to rotational movement ofthe first linking member relative to the device body, the movement ofthe supporting member is free from the restriction of the device body.In other words, with the configuration of the first linking member, thedegree of the freedom of the supporting member is higher. The supportingmember is easy to expand out from or be received in the device body viaa simple structure, which simplifies the manufacture or the assembly ofthe members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the disclosure willbecome better understood with regard to the following embodiments andaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are schematic diagrams showing a portable electronicdevice in different operating states in an embodiment.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are schematic diagrams showing some components of aportable electronic device in assembling viewed from different angles inan embodiment.

FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 are side views of a portable electronic device indifferent operating states in an embodiment.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are schematic diagrams showing some components of aportable electronic device are assembled in an embodiment.

FIG. 11 to FIG. 13 are side views of a portable electronic device indifferent operating states in an embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing partial of a portable electronicdevice in an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are schematic diagrams showing a portable electronicdevice in different operating states in an embodiment. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4are schematic diagrams showing some components of a portable electronicdevice in assembling viewed from different angles in an embodiment.Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, in an embodiment, a portable electronicdevice 100 is a tablet computer. The portable electronic device 100includes a device body 110, a supporting member 120 and a first linkingmember 130. The device body 110 includes a display surface 114. Thesupporting member 120 is disposed at a side of the device body 110opposite to the display surface 114.

In the embodiment, the device body 110 includes a receiving portion 112at the side of the device body 110 opposite to the display surface 114for receiving the supporting member 120 or allowing the supportingmember 120 to expand out from the receiving portion 112 relative to thedevice body 110. As shown in FIG. 2, when the supporting member 120rotates relative to the device body 110 to an expansion state, theportable electronic device 100 can stand on a plane via the supportingmember 120. In an embodiment, an expansion angle between the supportingmember 120 and the device body 110 is adjustable to reach an optimalview for watching the display surface 114. As shown in FIG. 1, in aclosed state, the supporting member 120 is received in the receivingportion 112 and therefore the device body 110 has a flat appearance. Asshown in FIG. 1, an outer surface of the supporting member 120 isflushed with the outer surface of the device body 110.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in an embodiment, the first linkingmember 130 includes a first end E1 and a second end E2 opposite to eachother. The first end E1 is rotatably connected to a recess structure 111at the receiving portion 112 of the device body 110. The second end E2is pivotally connected to the supporting member 120, thus, thesupporting member 120 is rotatable relative to the first linking member130. That is, the supporting member 120 is rotatable relative to thedevice body 110 via the first linking member 130 to be in differentoperating states, such as the expansion state or the closed state. Asshown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, each of the device body 110 and thesupporting member 120 includes a recess structure and the recessstructures at the device body 110 and the supporting member 120 arecorresponding to each other. When the supporting member 120 is receivedin the device body 110, the first linking member 130 is received in therecess structure 111.

In an embodiment, the portable electronic device 100 further includes ahinge 140. The hinge 140 is disposed at the supporting member 120 andconnected to the second end E2 of the first linking member 130. Thehinge 140 provides a twisting force for the relative rotation of thefirst linking member 130 and the supporting member 120. In other words,the supporting member 120 can be kept at any angle relative to the firstlinking member 130 due to the twisting force provided by the hinge 140.Therefore, the supporting member 120 is adjustable to be in a particularexpansion state to provide a stable support.

FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 are side views of a portable electronic device indifferent operating states in an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5 to FIG.8, in an embodiment, the second end E2 of the first linking member 130moves out from the receiving portion 112 of the device body 110 (asshown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8) or moves into the receiving portion 112 ofthe device body 110 (as shown in FIG. 5) when the first linking member130 rotates relative to the device body 110. The second end E2 of thefirst linking member 130, which is pivotally connected to the supportingmember 120 via the hinge 140, is suspended. Thus, the supporting member120 is rotatable relative to a suspended pivot center (that is thesecond end E2). Conventionally, the pivot center of the supportingmember is fixed to the device body. However, in the embodiment, thepivot center of the supporting member is suspended, thus the rotationalmovement of the supporting member 120 is free from the restriction ofthe device body 110. That is, the supporting member 120 is movable withno interaction with the device body. Therefore, the degree of freedom ofthe supporting member 120 is higher.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in the embodiment, the portableelectronic device 100 further includes a second linking member 150. Thesecond linking member 150 includes a third end E3 and a fourth end E4.The third end E3 is pivotally connected to a side edge of the supportingmember 120 (as shown in FIG. 4). The pivot portion of the supportingmember 120 and the second end E2 of the first linking member 130 areadjacent to the side edge. In an embodiment, the first device body 110further includes a first slot 116. The fourth end E4 of the secondlinking member 150 is rotatably and slidably connected to the first slot116. The first slot 116 extends in a direction that is parallel to acontact plane P1 where the supporting member 120 is received in thedevice body 110.

Referring to FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, in the embodiment, the supporting member120 is connected to the device body 110 via the second linking member150, an angle θ1 between the first linking member 130 and the devicebody 110 is restricted when the first linking member 130 rotatesrelative to the device body 110. That is, a four-bar linkage is formedby the first linking member 130, the second linking member 150, thesupporting member 120 and the device body 110, thus the angle θ1 isrestricted in a range. The first linking member 130 rotates relative tothe device body 110 within the particular angle range to avoidinteraction between the supporting member 120 and the device body 110.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are schematic diagrams showing some components of aportable electronic device are assembled in an embodiment. FIG. 11 toFIG. 13 are side views of a portable electronic device in differentoperating states. Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, in an embodiment, aportable electronic device 200 includes a device body 210, a supportingmember 220, a first linking member 230 and a hinge 240, which aresimilar to those of the above embodiments. The first linking member 230includes a first end E5 and a second end E6. The first end E5 isconnected to the device body 210 and is rotatable. The second end E6 ispivotally connected to a side edge of the supporting member 220. Thesecond end E6 is coaxially connected to the hinge 240. Thus, in theembodiment, the supporting member 220 has a similar suspended pivotcenter (the second end E6 of the first linking member 230) as that ofthe supporting member 120.

In the embodiment, the device body 210 includes a second slot 214. Thesecond slot 214 extends along a direction that is parallel to a contactplane P2 where the supporting member 220 is received in the device body210. The first end E5 of the first linking member 230 is movably androtatably connected to the second slot 214. Thus, as shown in FIG. 11and FIG. 12, if a user wants to move the supporting member 220 out fromthe receiving portion 212 of the device body 210, a force is applied tothe supporting member 220 to make the supporting member 220 move alongthe contact plane P2. That is, the first linking member 230 slides alongthe second slot 214 via the first end E5 and a gap G1 is formed betweenthe supporting member 220 and the device body 210. The first linkingmember 230 rotates relative to the device body 210, thus the second endE6 moves out from the receiving portion 212, and the supporting member220 inclines relative to the contact plane P2. When the first linkingmember 230 rotates by a particular angle θ2 (in a clockwise direction),the supporting member 220 flips in a direction (in an anti-clockwisedirection) opposite to the rotational direction of the first linkingmember 230, to reach a largest movement angle as shown in FIG. 13. Sincethe second end E6 is connected to the hinge 240, the supporting member220 can be kept at a certain angle relative to the first linking member230 during the rotation as shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 13.

In an embodiment, the device body 210 further includes a concave portion216. The concave portion is formed at a side wall of the receivingportion 212. The supporting member 220 further includes a protrusion 222which is disposed at the side edge. When the supporting member 220 isreceived in the device body 210, the protrusion 222 is engaged with theconcave portion 216, thus the supporting member 220 is received stablyin the receiving portion 212 of the device body 210. In the embodiment,before the supporting member 220 rotates relative to the device body210, the supporting member 220 translates as mentioned above (as shownin FIG. 11).

In an embodiment, a member for driving the first linking member 230 andthe supporting member 220 to move upward relative to the device body 210is a torsion spring (not shown). The torsion spring is configured at thefirst end E5. Thus, when the protrusion disengages from the concaveportion 216, a twisting force of the torsion spring drives the firstlinking member 230. In an embodiment, a compression spring (not shown)is configured between the first linking member 230 and the device body210. The compression deformation direction is perpendicular to thecontact plane P2, thus, the first linking member 230 is driven to moveupward relative to the device body 210.

In an embodiment (not shown in figures), a latch is configured.Accordingly, a button is configured at the device body 210 or thesupporting member 220. When the button is pressed, the engagementbetween the supporting member 220 and the device body 210 are disengagedand the first linking member 230 is driven to move upward.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing partial of a portable electronicdevice in an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 14, in an embodiment, thesecond linking member 150 is driven by a hydraulic rod 316, which isdifferent from the embodiments of FIG. 3 to FIG. 8. The hydraulic rod316 is configured at the device body 110. The hydraulic rod 316 includesa fixing portion R2 and a moving portion R1. The fixing portion R2 isfixed inside the device body 110. The moving portion R1 moves axiallyrelative to the fixing portion R2 (as indicated by a double-headed arrowin FIG. 14). An end of the first linking member 130 is connectedpivotally to the device body 110 and located above the hydraulic rod316. The second linking member 150 is connected rotatably to the movingportion R1 of the hydraulic rod 316. The second linking member 150 isdriven by the hydraulic rod 316 to traverse along an axial directionparallel to the contact plane P1 (as shown hereinbefore). In this way,the second linking member 150 is driven to move upward relative to thedevice body 210.

In sum, the supporting member of the portable electronic device ispivotally connected to one end of the first linking member, and theother end of the first linking member is movably connected to the devicebody. Thus, the pivot center of the supporting member and the firstlinking member can move out from/into the receiving portion of thedevice body with the movement of the first linking member. Since thepivot center is not directly fixed to the device body, the degree offreedom of the supporting member 120 is higher, and interaction betweenthe supporting member and the device body during the relative movementis avoided.

In the embodiment, the second linking member is further connectedbetween the supporting member and the device body to form a four-barfour bar linkage, thus the first linking member and the supportingmember moves within a desired range. In another embodiment, the firstlinking member is rotatably and slidably connected to the device body,thus, before the first linking member and the supporting member rotates,the supporting member and the first linking member translate along thecontact plane where the supporting member is received in the devicebody.

In the embodiments, the pivot center of the first linking member and thesupporting member is movable, which facilitates the supporting member tomove with no interaction with the device body and simplifies theconnection between the supporting member and the device body.

Although the disclosure has been disclosed with reference to certainembodiments thereof, the disclosure is not for limiting the scope.Persons having ordinary skill in the art may make various modificationsand changes without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to thedescription of the embodiments described above.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable electronic device comprising: a devicebody including a second slot; a first linking member including a firstend and a second end, wherein the first end is slidably and rotatablyconnected to the second slot of the device body; and a supporting memberpivotally connected to the second end, wherein the supporting membermoves relative to the device body via the first linking member, when thefirst linking member rotates relative to the device body via the firstend, the second end moves close to or out from the device body.
 2. Theportable electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising ahinge disposed at the supporting member and connected to the second end,to provide a twisting force for relative rotation of the first linkingmember and the supporting member.
 3. The portable electronic deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the device body includes a receivingportion, when the supporting member is received in the receivingportion, an outer surface of the supporting member is flushed with theouter surface of the device body.
 4. The portable electronic deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the second slot extends in a directionthat is parallel to a contact plane where the supporting member isreceived in the device body.
 5. The portable electronic device accordingto claim 1, wherein the device body includes a concave portion, thesupporting member further includes a protrusion, when the supportingmember is received in the device body, the protrusion is engaged withthe concave portion.